Good morning. Let's all stand
together. We'll sing hymn number 449. 449. To God be the glory.
Great things he hath done. ? The world that he gave us his
Son to give ? ? With his life and atonement for sin ? ? And
open the life be that all may go in ? ? Praise the Lord, praise
the Lord ? ? Let the earth hear His voice ? Praise the Lord,
praise the Lord ? Let the people rejoice ? O come to the Father
? Where Jesus the Son ? And give Him the glory great things he
hath done. O perfect redemption, the purchase
of blood to every being a a a Great things he hath done. rejoicing our Praise the Lord, let the earth
hear His voice. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice. Be seated. We'll sing hymn number
475. 475. Redeemed, how I love to proclaim
it. Redeemed by the blood of the
Lamb. Redeemed through His infinite
mercy. His child and forever I am. Redeemed, redeemed. ? Redeemed, redeemed ? His child
and forever I am ? Redeemed and so happy in Jesus ? No language
my rapture can tell ? I know that the light of his presence
Redeemed, Redeemed, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed, Redeemed, His child
and forever I am. I think of my blessed Redeemer
I think of Him all the day long I sing for I cannot be silent
His love is the theme of my soul ? Redeemed, redeemed ? His child
and forever I am ? I know I shall see in his beauty ? The king
in whose law I delight ? Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed
by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed, redeemed, this child
and forever I am. I'm going to read from the 116th
Psalm this morning before Lance. We really appreciate Lance and
his wife Robin being with us. And I want to thank all of y'all
that came out and worked yesterday. I tell you what, we got a lot
of things done. And I appreciate you very much.
It's just wonderful. It's a wonderful time. And we're
very thankful for you. Psalm 116, I love the Lord because he hath
heard my voice and my supplications. And I, you know, we could say
I love the Lord because we hear the voice of Christ, you know,
and my sheep shall hear my voice and I'd rather he Here, you know,
we know his voice. Because he hath climbed his ear
unto me, therefore I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows
of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me.
I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of
the Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous,
yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple.
I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my
soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou
hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, my feet
from falling. I will walk before the Lord in
the land of the living. I believed, therefore have I
spoken. I was greatly afflicted. I said,
in my haste, all men are liars. What shall I render unto the
Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation
and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows
unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. Precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. O LORD,
truly I am thy servant. I am thy servant and the son
of thine handmaid, thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer
to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of
the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence
of all his people. In the courts of the Lord's house,
in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem, praise ye the Lord. Our Father and our blessed Lord Jesus Christ,
we come into your presence. We come into your presence, hopefully,
Lord, with thankful hearts, hearts to bless you and to praise you
and to honor and glorify you, not only with our prayers but
with our words with our looks, with our understanding, with
our whole heart. Lord, when we find it in our
very souls to bless your holy name, who is like unto thee,
Lord, in might and power and majesty? Who's like unto thee
in grace and patience and longsuffering? Who's like unto thee in righteousness
and holiness? Who's like unto thee, O God,
that sets upon the circle of the earth, measures the waters
in the hollow of your hand, and you inhabit eternity. Who is
a god like unto you that's both a savior and a just God? So Lord, it's you we approach.
And Lord, we're so thankful that we can talk to you and you can
talk to us. We can speak to you, but Lord,
we'd rather hear from you speaking to us. And so, Lord, we've gathered
to worship this morning, gathered to hear the gospel, gathered
to the saints of God, be numbered with the saints of God in the
land of the living, and we're redeemed. And, Lord, we want
to say so this morning. We thank you that you're so merciful
and gracious. And, Lord, we thank you for sending
this preacher and his wife our way. God bless them. Oh, Lord,
bless him abundantly. Bless him as he gathers here
this morning to preach. And, Lord, be merciful to our
families, our lost loved ones, our children, our grandchildren. And, oh, Lord, we pray for those
who yet don't know you in this service today. Oh, Lord, may
the gospel run well. Come down and dwell among us.
Be among us today. Be among us in power. Be among
us in righteousness and holiness and grace and mercy. And Lord,
Lord, God, do it for the glory of your own holy name. We ask
these things in Christ's name. Amen. Hymn number 257. 257. "'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise,
just to know the Jesus, how I trust Him, how I've
proved Him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,
all for grace to trust. sweet to trust in Jesus, just
to trust His cleansing blood, just in simple faith to plunge
me with the healing, cleansing flood. how I trust Him, how I've proved
Him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,
oh, for grace to trust Him more. Christ is sweet to trust in Jesus
Just from sin and self to cease Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest and joy and peace I trust Him, how I've proved
Him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,
oh, for grace to trust Him more. I'm so glad I learned to trust
Thee Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend And I know that Thou art
with me Wilt be with me to the end Jesus, Jesus, how I trust
Him, how I've proved Him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious
Jesus, Lord, for grace, Let's stand together as we sing
the day on the back of the bulletin. Come thou fount. I need Thee, precious Jesus,
For I am full of sin. My soul is dark and guilty, My
heart is dead within. I need the cleansing fountain,
I can always fly The blood of Christ most precious The sinner's
perfect plea I need thee, blessed Jesus, for
I am very poor. A stranger in the pilgrim, I
have no earthly store. I need the love of Jesus to on my way, to guide my doubting
footsteps, to be my strength and stay. I need Thee, blessed
Jesus I need a friend like Thee A friend to soothe my sorrows
A friend to care for me I need Thee each anxious care to tell my
every wonder and all my sorrows share. I need Thee, blessed Jesus, and
hope to see Thee soon. Encircled with the rainbow And
seated on my throne there with thy blood-bought children thy
joys shall ever be. To sing thy praise, Lord Jesus,
to gaze thy Lord on thee. Be seated. I'm delighted to have Lance Held
and his wife Robin. We've been supporting him as
a missionary for quite some time. And tell you a little about,
they've been in our home several times. We have such wonderful
fellowship. But they get, his mother and
daddy, they're 95, is that right? And they, he was on the field
here recently, so hard on Robin, taking care of two 95-year-olds,
one of them with dementia. And so he come in to help him. And so I, you know, they've got
their hands full, but they're so gracious about it, they're,
you know, I'm gonna tell you this little story that he told
me this morning. Because a lot of folks want rewards
for the things that they do, especially if they take care
of somebody. But there was a, he's talking to a lady up at
13th Street, and she was taking care of her elderly parents,
and somebody told her, said, you're going to get a real good
reward for that. She said, get a reward for doing what I'm supposed
to do and doing that bad? Not doing it very good? What
do I need a reward for? But I love them and enjoy their
fellowship so much. They've got four kids, four wonderful
kids. And just let you come and I bring
the Lord's message that he's laid on your heart. Good morning. Turn with me to
Psalm 16, if you would. And It's been a few years since we
were here with you all. And I know it's been, the last
time was before our daughter had that terrible fall in the
mountains of Colorado. And so I just wanted to take
this opportunity to just tell you how thankful we are to the
Lord for you. We know that during that time
that you had a real concern for Robin and I and our daughter,
and were praying, looking to the only one that we should be
looking to, to the Lord, to do his will, and if it was his will,
to preserve our daughter. And in a miraculous way, he surely
did. And there were two people that the Lord really
used during that time to help us and help Robin and I and bless
us and direct our thoughts to the Lord. And one was our pastor,
David Pletcher, pastor of our church in Houston. He would call
me several times a week and And it was just always such a blessing
to have my thoughts directed towards what matters. And the
other person was your pastor, Donnie. He called me many times. And it was just so refreshing
and such a help. And I know there's some of you
who have been through times like this and were just We're just
thankful. We're just thankful, thankful
for you folk here and for your care for us. And I just wanted
to let you know, too, that our daughter is just doing so well. And the Lord, you know, and if
the Lord had taken her, we came to that place. It seemed that
he was. And we came to that place where
we could thank the Lord. If he had taken her, Is he any less good? No, no. And we're thankful. We're thankful
for that time. I thought of preaching some more
to you of some of the things that the Lord taught us, but
I thought it would be too hard, honestly, right now, and possibly
at some time I will. But still, this passage that
I, hope to look at with you this
morning is a passage that the Lord so greatly blessed to my
heart during that time. And I hope to show you some of
those things, why that would be. But let's just read this
Psalm first, Psalm 16. Preserve me, O God, for in you
I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the
Lord, you are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from you. As
for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent
ones in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied
who hasten after another God. Their drink offerings of blood
I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips. O Lord,
You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in
pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has
given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in
the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before
my face. always before me, because he
is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart
is glad, and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope,
for you will not leave my soul in jail, nor will you allow your
Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of
life, and your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are
pleasures forevermore. All I can say is, if these are
things that make glad the heart of our Lord Jesus, then they're
going to make our hearts glad, aren't they? And this, we know,
is a Psalm of David. It's breathed into his heart
and into his mind, put upon his lips by the Holy Spirit over
1,000 years before the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, before
the incarnate Son of God came to do the great work which is
spoken of here. But Peter, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, reveals that these words are the words of
our Savior, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, uttered in
the midst of his suffering and his death for the sins of his
people. Therefore, my heart is glad, he said, in that time. Turn to Acts 2 and keep your
place here. Let's just remind ourselves of
these things. Acts chapter 2, and you remember
Jesus had told his disciples that when the spirit of truth
had come, he would guide them into all truth. Why? For he would
glorify me, this is what Christ told his disciples, for he will
glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it
to you. And this is what this psalm is
doing. And on the day of Pentecost, the promise of the Holy Spirit
is poured out upon Peter and the rest of the disciples and
light and understanding flooded the soul of Peter. And he understood
that these Old Testament scriptures spoke of Jesus and he stood up
and he preached this message full of power. Let's just begin
there in verse 22 and read from there. He says, Men of Israel,
hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested
by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through
him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered
by the determined purpose, all according to the eternal purpose
of God. The determined purpose of God
and foreknowledge of God. You have taken by lawless hands,
have crucified and put to death. Whom God raised up having loosed
the pains of death because it was not possible that he should
be held by it. And here it is. For David said
concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face. For
he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore, my
heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh
also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul
in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the
ways of life. You will make me full of joy
in your presence. Well, look back in Psalm 16.
These are the words spoken from this psalm, aren't they? And
Peter understood that these were the words of Christ speaking
about this great work which he accomplished at the cross. Now,
here in this psalm and other psalms, the psalms which are
Christ's words, given to us. There's something
especially wonderful about these Psalms. Don't you find that? The words of Christ, spoken of
as our Redeemer. You know, I think of Psalms like
this, Psalms of Christ, I think of these as songs of redemption. Seen through the lens of the
Gospel, The depth of revelation concerning Christ and his work
which we find in these Psalms is so unusual. Have you thought
about that? The Lord gives us such a great
privilege because it gives us just insight into the thoughts
of the Lord Jesus in the midst of this work, this great work
which we find hard to comprehend. They give us insight into the
operations of the heart and mind of Christ in this substitutionary
work of atonement. And two, I don't know if you've
thought of this, they give us a glimpse into the mysterious
communion between God the Father and God the Son during that time. It's a privilege, isn't it? These
are things that are so mysterious. Well, we read that after the
birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the family returned to their
own city, Nazareth. And we read that the child grew
and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace
of God was upon him. Now, as a child growing up in
Nazareth, in Galilee, Jesus would have sung this psalm many times,
Psalm 16. He knew all the Psalms. Every
Israelite did. And he sang them in the congregation
of the people as they gathered in obedience to that old covenant
to worship on the Sabbath day. These were the hymns that they
sang. Think of the meaning these Psalms
would have had to Jesus when he sang them. Jesus had sung
this song many times before he went to the cross. But think
too, think too, he'd sung these songs from eternity, hadn't he? These are his words. These songs were written in eternity,
before the world began, before time. This is his song. Do you see that? This is his
song. A song of redemption. And in
this psalm, we're given the words of the incarnate God, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And as we think about that, it's
essential that we understand that he is one person with two
distinct natures. You know, unless we think about
these things, we can be hopelessly confused in passages like this
psalm. He's not two persons, one God
and one man, nor is he one person who is partly God and partly
man. He is one person who is fully
God, God to the brim, perfect divinity. And he's also fully
man, man to the brim, perfect humanity. For in him, you know
the passage in Colossians, don't you? For in him, in this man
Jesus, dwells all the fullness of God. All the fullness of the
Godhead. And why is this important? Because
at times he speaks to us in his nature as the son of God. And
at times he speaks in his nature as the son of man. But he's one
person with one heart, one mind, one will, one spirit. It's said that the only redeemer
of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ with two distinct natures
and one person forever. You believe that, don't you?
Well, there's a second thing that's important for us to understand
as we consider this psalm. With respect to Christ's work
of redemption, so close is the spiritual union between Christ
and his people, Christ and the church, Christ and the elect,
that at times he speaks as our Redeemer. Look at verse 10 there. For you will not leave my soul
in shale Nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. Who's that referring to? Only
Him, only Him, only our Redeemer. There is no other Holy One of
God. But at times, He speaks as our
substitute. He speaks for us, and He speaks
with us. Look at verse 2, verse 2. Oh my soul, you have said to
the Lord, you are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from
you. Do you know that? That as the
Lord's people, we have no goodness in ourselves, do we? None, none. Our goodness is only found in
him. In him, my goodness, is nothing
apart from you. There he is, speaking as you
and me, as our perfect substitute. And why is that? Because in God's
grace, we're one, aren't we? Look at verse five. Oh Lord,
you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot. We read in the Bible that though
he was rich, what riches? Though he was rich, yet for your
sakes, he became poor. He left his throne of glory,
not just for a day, but for an entire lifetime. And in that life, Jesus said
to his disciples, foxes have holes. And birds of the air have
nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. This
wasn't just a poverty of material things, a loss, a loss, a poverty
of material things. This Christ coming, humbling
himself to a place of poverty, of position, of power, A poverty
of esteem. A poverty of security. Think,
think, these are all things that are so important to us. A poverty
of strength. And in the end, even a poverty
of friends, when even those disciples just left him. A poverty of fellowship. Of comfort. And in the end, a
poverty of all things. All things, the poverty culminating
in the cry expressing the ultimate loss. My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me? In the midst of this unimaginable
loss, what does Christ need? Who is his portion? The Lord. Do you see that? Oh, Lord, you
are the portion of my inheritance. That's who he needs. That's all
he needs. All he desires. All he needs
is found in the Lord, his God. And. I just learned a little
more of that, a little more of that during that time, and I'm
still learning. There are times when the Lord
In his goodness and in his grace brings us into circumstances
of deep distress. And we feel that we're walking
in darkness, our strength failing, we're surrounded on all sides
by bitterness and woe. And we might not put it into
words, but we feel as if the Lord has shut out our prayers.
Have you ever felt like that? He's made us desolate. He's moved
our souls far from peace. And it may seem that we're forgotten
and forsaken of the Lord. And like Jeremiah, we think,
my strength and my hope have perished from the Lord. You remember
when he said that? In that utter desolation of Jerusalem,
where mothers came to the place of eating their own children,
the flesh of their womb. In Jeremiah, he was brought low
and said that, my strength and my hope have perished from the
Lord. Until Jeremiah remembers their
lamentations, until he remembers the truth of God's word to his
people, He remembers the covenant promises of God, the gospel. And he says, Through the Lord's mercies, we
are not consumed. That's the only reason that you
and I are not consumed. The Lord's mercies. Because his
compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great. is thy faithfulness. That's that
great hymn we sing. This is where it comes from.
In that desolation of the lamentations of Jeremiah, out of that comes
this. And listen to his next words.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore, I will trust
in him. He's our portion, isn't he? He's
the only one that matters. Nothing else and no one else. You don't need anyone else. You
don't need anything else. You may think you do, but you
don't. You don't. There was a time I needed my
daughter to survive. No, no, you don't. You need the
Lord. He's your portion. And it's true,
I'm still learning, I'm still learning. He's all you need. You can lose everything, everything. But if you have Christ, you haven't
lost a thing. He's everything. Christ says,
here is Christ in our place. He says, oh Lord, you are the
portion of my inheritance in my cup. He wants no other. He looks for no other. The Lord
is the portion of his soul, and in him, he's fully satisfied. His cup, his cup overflows. Turn over to Isaiah 49 just for
a moment. Keep your place here. Isaiah 49. And look there in verse seven. Well, yeah, look there. We'll
begin reading in verse seven, but look, yes. In verse 1 of Psalm 16, we read,
"'Preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust.'" Well, why
did he put his trust in him? Well, we're going to read here
why he did. "'For in you I put my trust.'"
In these circumstances, the Lord Jesus looks to his father in
full assurance of hope. Why? Because here's some of the
things that the Lord said to him. Look, verse seven. Thus
says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to him
whom man despises. And they despised him, didn't
they? They rejected him. To him whom the nation abhors. And that was true, wasn't it?
They hated him. They abhorred him when he did only good things,
only wonderful things. Remember when he first preached
the gospel to them? What did they do? They gnashed
their teeth. They took him out to kill him,
throw him off. Off the cliff, they hated him. They hated the truth. But what? Yes, servant. He seemed like he was just a
servant, a lowly, insignificant person. And yet, what? What will happen? Here's the
promise. Kings shall see and arise. Princes also shall worship
him. Him, why? Because of the Lord
who is faithful. The Holy One of Israel, and He
has chosen you. He's speaking of Christ. He's
chosen you. Thus says the Lord, in an acceptable
time, I have heard you. Well, when is that acceptable
time? When is He speaking about? Well,
in the day of salvation, I have helped you. When is the day of
salvation? It's the day of the cross, isn't
it? In the day of salvation I have helped you, I will preserve you
and give you as a covenant to the people to restore the earth.
In the day of salvation. Now isn't that something to make
your heart glad? Turn back to Psalm 16. And remember, these words flow
from the heart of Christ in the midst of suffering and death
like no other, beyond the realm of human experience. There's
many who've died, many who've died in excruciating pain and
suffering, none even approach the equivalence of the suffering
and death of Christ. He is the Lord of glory, the
Son of God incarnate drinking the cup given to him by the Father,
the cup of woe and indescribable agony. He is God. In our nature, enduring unspeakable
anguish, the ultimate horror, the ultimate horror of being
utterly forsaken by God. That shocking cry from the accursed
tree gives a sense of the infinite weight of sins. The infinite weight of sins as
he treads out the winepress of the wrath of God. Alone, the
word of God tells us, alone. He himself bore our sins in his
own body upon that tree on that day. And there was none with
him. Yes, Jesus knew the ultimate
forsakenness, the ultimate loss. He paid the ultimate price, didn't
he? Whenever there's a great cost,
the question always is, is it worth it? Is it worth it? Was it worth it? Do I regret what I've spent? Well, here are his words, verse
six. Think of the wonder of this. The lines have fallen to me in
pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. What a wonder, isn't that? All
this for what? All this for what? For you and
me. Worms, worms, thou worm, Jacob. David mentioned that text to
me during that time. Thou worm, Jacob. That's all we are, worms. For
us and for a multitude of miserable sinners. Before he went to the
cross, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven. Father, the hour has
come. Glorify your son, that your son
may also glorify you. As you have given him authority
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as you have given him. This is his inheritance. You
know in Psalm 2, we read about that. It says, I will declare
the decree. This is the decree of God. In
eternity, in eternity. This I will declare the decree.
The Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten
you for this great work. Did he ever say that to any of
the angels? Today you are my son. Today I
have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for your inheritance. and the ends of the earth for
your possession." Well, if the lines have fallen
to Christ in pleasant places, well, they've fallen to you and
I in pleasant places, haven't they? This is his inheritance,
all that the Father has given to him. And where do those lines
fall? You know it, I'm sure you do.
It's speaking, using that picture of the boundary lines of the
inheritance of land, where it's marked out. And this is your
inheritance, marked out by these lines. Well, here's the lines
of his inheritance. Where do those lines fall around?
They fall around the church, don't they? That's his inheritance. They mark out the people given
to him by the Father. They're his possession. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and be what? Satisfied. Satisfied. What grace, isn't it? What marvelous
grace that he would look upon you and me and be satisfied. Yes, he says, I have a good inheritance. Look at verse 3. As for the saints who are on
the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom my soul delights. Can you believe that he could
say that of you and I? We can't even understand it,
can we? No, I know that it's only because he sees us in Christ. I know that. Is it any less amazing
that he would say this of you and me, the excellent ones in
whom my soul delights? Well, look at verse seven. He says, I will bless the Lord who
has given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in
the night seasons. Among all the many things Jesus
is to us, he's our counselor, isn't he? He's our counselor. We know that he's not only made
unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Did you know wisdom? Wisdom. He's made unto us wisdom
from God. This is why Paul writes to those
saints in Colossae, this is what he says, that their hearts may
be encouraged, being knit together in love and attaining to all
the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge
of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in
whom, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now he's a counselor, isn't he?
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in him. He's
all we need. You know, it's remarkable, too,
that the emphasis that the Lord in his ministry places such strong,
well, places such strong emphasis upon the fact that that all that
he has given in his work as a Redeemer is given to him of the Father. His whole purpose was to glorify
God. And let me just read a few of
some of the verses where we find him speaking of this. You don't
need to turn there. I think you know them well. And
one of them is in John 8. And again, it's where They come
to him, they're seeking, well, they're not coming seeking mercy,
seeking help, seeking grace. No, they're coming to harass
him. And they said to him, who are you? And Jesus said to them,
just what I've been saying to you from the beginning. I have
many things to say and to judge concerning you, but he who sent
me is true. Now listen, and I speak to the
world things which I heard from him. They did not understand
that he spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them,
when you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am
he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught
me, I speak these things. How greatly he honors his Father. In everything he does, the whole
Life of Jesus, the whole life of Jesus and his ministry on
the earth was to do what? Well, it was to save a people
to himself, but no, more importantly, it was to glorify his father. I will bless the Lord who has
given me counsel, he says. And we read that the heart of
Christ taught him in the night seasons. You know, in those days where there's the
bright shining of the sun, like David said, like a morning without
clouds after the rain and everything is wonderful, well, we can think that we don't need
anything. But in those dark times, in those
dark days, we know that we need everything. And the night seasons. And this was a night season,
wasn't it, for Christ? This was a night season that
had been building from eternity. A night season that would turn
the midday sun into darkness. What prepared him for this season? Remember, he's a man. He's God,
but he's a man just like us. Well, what prepared him for this
season? All the counsels of God, the
word of God treasured up in his heart from eternity, like this
psalm that we're singing, we're reading. Think of the perfection
of the heart of Jesus, the eternal son of God, the infinite wisdom
and knowledge of the counsels of God and the redemption of
fallen humanity, all treasured up in his heart. This is where
he found help. The counsel of God sustained
him. In this time of deep distress,
the Lord God counseled the soul of his beloved son as only he
can. In the flood of afflictions,
in the flood of great waters, he's our help. He's our help. In Psalm 32, we read, for this
cause, everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when
you may be found. Surely in a flood of great waters,
they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place. You
shall preserve me from trouble. You shall surround me with songs
of deliverance. I love that. Isn't that a great
psalm? Songs of deliverance, what a
picture. And the same is true with every
one of his people. He speaks to us through his son.
He counsels us through His Word. That's what this psalm did to
me during that time, during that dark season. In the dark of distress,
it seems wherever you open His Word, He's with you. Isn't that
true? I know many of you have experienced
this. You know, in those bright, shining
days, you read the Word, and you're blessed. But, oh, in these times, you open
the Word, and God, by His grace, just speaks to your heart. He makes you to lie down in the
green pastures of His glorious Gospel. He leads you beside the
still waters of His mercy and His grace. He surrounds you with
Songs of deliverance. He does. He restores your soul. And this Psalm is one of those
songs. It makes your heart glad, doesn't
it? We read there in verse 8, he says, I have set the Lord
always before me. One of the richest blessings
we have in Christ is communion with God. Isn't that so? in the
night of darkness when we're in deep distress, and the heart and soul feels so lost. He's with us, isn't he? He brings
us by his grace to a place where everything in life recedes. I
know some of you, some of you know what I'm talking about.
You know all the things that matter to you. You know the,
Things of this life, a house, that's good. It doesn't matter
to you. The things you have, the plans
you have for the future, even your own family, your children
or your loved ones. All the trivial things that you
were so busy with that filled your mind every day, they just
all recede. They all go away, and the only
one left before your face is the Lord Jesus Christ. It's true,
isn't it? Our hearts and our minds become
focused on all that matters, and the Lord is before our face.
By the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit in our heart,
he sets himself there. Do you realize that? He sets
himself there. And he makes his presence known
to us and his word becomes so rich and so precious as he speaks
to us. And beloved, there is nothing
to compare. It's heaven on earth. In that
darkness of that time, it's heaven on earth. This is what Christ
says. Look at verse eight. This is
what the Lord says. I have set the Lord always before
me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. With Christ, now listen, with
Christ, the Lord is always before his face. Why? He has set him there. You know,
you and I, He in his grace sets himself
there before our face, doesn't he? But not Christ. The Lord
is always, always before his face. He, I have set the Lord
always before me. At all times, in all circumstances,
nothing can intervene with that and no one else can take this
place. Think of the perfect communion between the Father and the Son.
the perfect love, the perfect harmony, and the perfect understanding. He has set him always before
his face. Just turn over to Psalm 22 just
for a moment. And you know, you know this too
is a psalm. These are the words of Christ.
And this is a song of forsakenness, isn't it? This is a song where
we see him surrounded on every side, encircled by enemies, and
he's in a flood of great waters. But I want you to think, too,
as we read this, of the love of a parent for a child in incomprehensible
anguish and suffering of soul. Think of the suffering of our
Savior. We think we think of his suffering. But there was a suffering of
the father, too, wasn't there? To see his son in this place. And we find that implicit in
this glorious statement of the gospel in John. For God so loved
the world. He so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son. To what? To this. This, what we read here in Psalm
22, in verse 14. Here is Christ. Here is the sun. I am poured out like water, and
all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It has
melted within me. My strength has dried up like
a pot's hurt, and my tongue clings to my jaws. He has brought me
to the dust of death, for dogs have surrounded me. The congregation
of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my
feet. I can count all my bones. Why? Because of the agony in every
part. They divide my garments among
them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do
not be far from me. O my strength, hasten to help
me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power
of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth
and from the horns of the wild oxen. All this imagery speaking
about this intense suffering of our Lord in his work of redemption,
those great enemies, the enemy above all, your sin and my sin,
weighing him down, bringing him to the dust of death. Is this
work too great? Is the cost too overwhelming?
Will he turn aside? Will he be moved? This is what he says in Isaiah
42. Let me just read it to you. It says of him, behold, behold,
my servant whom I uphold, my elect one in whom my soul delights,
here's the father. I have put my spirit upon him.
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He shall not cry
out, nor raise his voice, nor cause his voice to be heard in
the street. A bruised reed he will not break. That's you and me. A bruised
reed he will not break. And smoking flax he will not
quench. He will bring forth justice for
truth. He will not fail, nor be discouraged. till he has established justice
in the earth, and the coastlands shall wait for his law. What
law is that? The gospel of God's grace. He shall not be moved. This is
the day of salvation. He's come to save his people
from their sins. And he's immovable in that endeavor,
isn't he? That's what he, meant when we
read of him as he was set to go up to Jerusalem, his face
was set like flint. He's going up to finish the work,
to make an end of sins, to bring in an everlasting righteousness
for his people. And he'll obtain eternal redemption. He will, by one offering. He perfected forever those who
are sanctified. Does that make your heart glad?
Therefore, my heart is glad. That's what he says. This song
of redemption rises up out of the depths to the magnificent
heights of joyful praise to his God. In worship and adoration,
verse nine, he says, therefore, therefore my heart is glad and
my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope,
for you will not leave my soul in shale, nor will you allow
your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of
life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are
pleasures forevermore. Therefore, my heart is glad."
His heart is glad, why? Because the Lord is his portion. The Lord is his counsel. The
Lord is always before his face, upholding him by his right hand. His whole being rejoices because
he will accomplish this work, and he did, didn't he? and he'll see of the travail
of his soul and be satisfied. The work which he accomplished
was a work like no other, like no other work has ever been or
ever will be. A work so magnificent, so glorious,
so gracious, so wise, so honoring to God, that angels, all angels,
and all men will bow down before him in worship, great things
he has done. Yes, he'll die and go down to
the grave, but his flesh will rest in hope." The trust of Jesus Christ was
a perfect trust in the Lord. His flesh would rest in hope,
in full assurance that he would be raised in body, incorruptible
from the grave. Why? Because in his death we know
the Holy One of God came as a high priest, we read, of the good
things to come. A priest, holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and with his own blood, the spotless Lamb
of God entered the most holy place and made one offering for
sin forever. And the justice of God is forever
satisfied for you and for me, forever. for you will not leave my soul
in shale, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption."
No, no, no. He was raised according to the
power of an endless life. He made all things perfect, bringing
in a better hope, a hope in which we draw near to God. This Psalm
of our Savior, or His words. But they're our words too, aren't
they? We're in Him through this mystical union of Christ and
the Church. He sings these Psalms as our
substitute, bearing all that we could never bear. He sings
these Psalms as our sacrifice, offering a sacrifice that you
and I could never offer, had no hope of ever offering. He sings these psalms as our
great high priest entering into the place that we could never
enter. He sings these psalms with us
as our redeemer, paying the ransom that we could never pay. The
Lord, what does he say? The Lord will show him the path
of life. And in showing him the path of
life, he showed us the path of life, didn't he? Not for himself,
but for his people. He's the firstborn from the dead.
That's what that means. Opening the way into eternal
life for those he died for. He's the forerunner of the redeemed.
We know that. So well, that passage in Hebrews
where it's speaking of those who have fled for refuge, and
we need a refuge, don't we? And here are those who have fled
for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them. And this
hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast,
which enters the presence behind the veil. where the forerunner
has entered for us, even Jesus. We have a good hope, don't we?
We have a good hope. The path of life leads where?
Into the presence of God. How can we find words to express
what this means? A path for you and I, for sinners, into the presence
of the holy God forever, forever accepted. This is inexpressible
and full of glory. And what does Christ say? He
enters, what joy, what joy, what fullness, what pleasures, eternal
and everlasting, forever, forever. Therefore, my heart is glad. Amen. Thank you, brother. Oh, that's good. Let's do 127.
Houston, you come lead it. 127. Thank you, brother. All right. Psalm of Christ, no
doubt. 127. We'll stand, sing this,
then you'll be at liberty to go. I stand together, 127. Man of sorrows, what a name For
the Son of God who came Ruined sinners to reclaim Hallelujah,
what a Savior Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless, free,
spotless Lamb of God, was He. Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior! Lifted up was he to die, In its
finish was his cry. Now in heaven exalted high, Alleluia,
what a Savior! When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring, Then anew this song we'll sing,
Alleluia! What a Savior! Lance, you head on back there
and let folks greet the folks. See you tonight, six o'clock,
God willing.